How-To Geek

Windows includes several built-in security features designed to protect your data and system. But some of them—like UAC prompts—can feel intrusive. That’s why you need to tune them down so they stay protective without becoming a nuisance. Here are some features that frustrate me the most.

If you've ever seen NVMe SSD reviews online, you've probably noticed that some reviews mention these drives as having DRAM inside. And you've probably wondered—why would an SSD have RAM?

The Linux gaming tool CtrlAssist, which lets multiple physical gamepads act as a single virtual device for cooperative play, just dropped a rumble update. This utility also lets you customize your input setups so you can use multiple controllers to do different things in-game.

I recently saw a coworker type out a SUM formula in Excel to get a quick total, only to delete it a second later. When I showed him a pro shortcut hidden in plain sight, he realized he'd been wasting time on "disposable" formulas for years.

The highly anticipated holiday season is here, with festive cheer filling the air. If you're looking to bring some of that cheer to your screen, Netflix has you and your family covered with its romcoms, thrillers, and comedies.

Amiga computers may have been popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, especially in media production, but their filesystems are not directly compatible with modern computers. The new 'amifuse' project aims to fix that with a new filesystem driver built around an invisible m68k CPU emulator.

There are plenty of ways to prolong your device's battery life, but some battery-saving tricks don't actually help. In some cases, following certain battery-saving advice can actually consume more battery life rather than conserve it.

Mainstream sedans often get overlooked, stuck in the shadow of fancier luxury rides. Crossovers have stolen the spotlight, leaving anyone who still wants a comfortable, roomy sedan facing a tough choice: pay more for a luxury badge or compromise.

Windows Fast Startup can reduce your Windows PC's boot time, but in certain situations, it can cause issues and limit access to your Windows disk partition. While undoubtedly useful, you might think about disabling it.

Are you stuck in the coding tutorial loop? I used to be, but I realized that tutorials were actually holding me back when it came to my programming. Here’s how I realized coding tutorials were setting me up for failure, and how I fixed it.

If you've got a gaming PC and haven't overclocked your graphics card yet, you should seriously consider it. It's one of the easiest ways to boost gaming performance significantly without spending a single dime—and it's mostly risk-free.

The beta release for Linux Mint 22.3 "Zena" has arrived with several new features and improvements to the popular Linux distribution. It includes the new System Information app and several interface upgrades for the Cinnamon desktop.

Some products can only be appreciated after you've tried them for yourself. I've known about laptop docking stations for years, but it wasn't until I got my first MacBook that I finally understood how awesome (and freeing) they are.

I've been running a fairly simple homelab for about five years, give or take. And while my current setup does most of the things I want it to do, I've effectively backed myself into a corner by cheaping out on hardware and making some other ill-advised choices that I wish I could go back on. Woe is me, and all that, but I don't think I'm alone here. So, maybe my story will help steer people toward the path that's right for them.

VLC, arguably the best media player around, dons a festive Santa hat every holiday season. The hat appears automatically, but you can remove it or prevent it from even appearing in the first place in just a few seconds. Here's how.

You might've heard the argument that many years of updates don't matter because “you’ll replace your phone in 2 years anyway.” In the age of e-waste, though, there’s a reason why you should want your phone to last years on end—even if you aren't the one using it.

Whether you're off for the holidays or working through, if you're looking for some great movies to entertain you or even get you in the holiday spirit, I've got you covered with four excellent Paramount+ picks—expertly chosen and all Certified Fresh by the movie nerds at Rotten Tomatoes.

The affordable sports compact segment is more competitive than ever, and 2025 has brought three standout contenders from Honda, Volkswagen, and Hyundai into a surprisingly tight race. Each delivers its own blend of performance, practicality, and value, making this comparison especially important for buyers who want thrills without breaking the bank.

Finally, it’s here—the most anticipated week of the year. It’s also the most stressful and chaotic, so to help with that, I bring you a healthy mix of lighthearted, mostly holiday-spirited flicks to shift your mood and put it right where it needs to be.

Practically every useful online service requires a subscription now. Even though each individual one may seem small, together, over time they add up. There's probably no way to completely cut subscriptions out of a digital life these days, but you can cut back if you use these 5 self-hosting apps.